Viktor Bologan and the Chebanenko Slav

2/18/2009 – Recently we found a book entitled The Chebanenko Slav according to Bologan.
The author is Moldavia GM Viktor Bologan, who looks back on a two decade long
career, which includes a 2003 Dortmund triumph ahead of Anand and Kramnik. That
came, incidentally, after a ten-day training session with Garry Kasparov. Read
all about it in this Bisik-Bisik session with Edwin Lam.

Bisik-Bisik with GM Victor Bologan

By Edwin Lam Choong Wai

Bisik-Bisik is a word from the Malay Archipelago, and means the act of
“whispering” from one person to another. In his interviews Edwin
Lam seeks to “whisper” to all our readers out there the previously
unknown other side of his interview partners.

Victor (Viorel) Bologan, rated 2687, is a well-known grandmaster from Moldovia.
Born on December 14th, 1971 in Kishinev, Moldavia, Bologan has won amongst others
the following top-rated events: Chess960 (Fischer Random Chess) tournament at
the 2007 Chess Classic in Mainz (ahead of Kamsky, Ivanchuk, Volokitin and Navara);
the 2005 Canadian Open Chess Championship; the 2005 6th Karpov Tournament (tied
with Bacrot and ahead of Grischuk and Dreev); the 2003 Sparkassen Chess Meeting
in Dortmund (ahead of Kramnik, Anand, Radjabov and Leko); the 2003 Aeroflot
Open; and the 1997 New York Open Tournament (tied with Krasenkow).

Bologan
recently penned a book entitled The Chebanenko Slav according to Bologan.
Some of you may wonder what is the Chebanenko Slav about? It is a system in
the Slav Defence with 4… a6 and was introduced into practice by various
Moldavian masters in the 1970s. Today it is a favorite of many of the world’s
super-GMs, amongst them Shirov, Dreev, Morozevich, Kamsky and Karjakin, just
to name a few. The Chebanenko Slav was invented by the Kishinev Master, Vyacheslav
Chebanenko (1942–1997).

Vyacheslav Chebanenko, or "the Doctor", is a very well known theoretician
and trainer, who counts amongst his students the likes of Bologan, Gavrikov,
Komliakov, Rogozenko, Gavrikov and many others. As an openings’ theoretician,
the Doctor’s moment of fame also include the opening bomb that was used
on none other than the great Fischer in the first game of the 1971 Candidates
Final. As Petrosian described later in the magazine 64, a letter had
been written by Chebanenko and was addressed to the winner of the Petrosian-Korchnoi
Candidates Semi-Final match. Chebanenko had worked out the details of the d5
variation that was later seen in the first game of the Fischer-Petrosian 1971
match… Alas, Fischer would have been the victim of Chebanenko’s
innovation had Petrosian not failed to follow the analysis in the crucial moment…

Edwin Lam: At what age did you learn to play
the game of chess?

GM Victor Bologan: I was seven years of age when my father
taught me how to play chess.

Who was your chess hero? Karpov?

Yes, Karpov was one of them while Capablanca was the other one.

Can you share with us the name of your first-ever chess book?

It was the classic, Zurich International Chess Tournament 1953 by David Bronstein.

Was Chebanenko your first formal coach in the game?

No, that was Ion Solonar. I started to work with him when I was almost ten
years old. I only started to work with Chebanenko when I was 15.

In your recent book, you recalled how the “Doctor” would
dictate moves of opening ideas for his students, which included you, for analysis.
Thus, can I say that the focus in your early chess training were mostly on
openings?

While openings occupied a significant part of our preparation with Chebanenko,
I must say that he also had a very good course of positional lessons, too.

How would you describe a typical chess training day with Chebanenko?

Normally I would come to his studio where he would first show me some of his
new ideas. Then, we'd get down to analyzing these ideas – we would sometimes
record the ideas that we were very sure of. This would normally take up about
half of the day and very often the chess training day would include lunch or
dinner, too.

When did you make your big breakthrough in tournament chess? 1985?

In my more than two decade long career as a player I went through several
periods of breakthroughs in competitive chess, namely in the years 1991, 1997,
2000 and 2003.

Could you share with us a little bit more details on the specific competitive
breakthroughs you made in those years?

In 1991, I played eight strong tournaments in a row, with GM norm possiblities.
Out of eight possibilities I achieved four norms, and my rating went up to 2585
Elo. I rose to #52 in the world. In 1997 I jointly won the New York Open with
Krasenkow with an 8/9 score. In the year 2000, I won or shared first place four
tournaments in a row, which then brought me to a 2684 Elo rating. My world ranking
rose to #19. In 2003, I won the Aeroflot Open and then I had a session with
Garry Kasparov. I won Dortmund 2003 after that.

You worked with Garry Kasparov before you won Dortmund 2003? Was it because
of the training with him?

The session was about ten days long and it definitely helped to improve my
chess. We worked on openings and played blitz games.

You won in Dortmund ahead of none other than Kramnik and Anand. Would
you consider that to be the highest point in your chess career?

Besides having won or shared the first place in another 40 international tournaments,
Dortmund 2003 remains the biggest achievement in my career.

You are described as someone with great fighting spirit. Is your chess
style reflective of this?

It does come from my character, and of course, I am kind of a maximalist while
at the same time I had been taught to work hard since I was young. Specifically
on chess style, I am a universal player with a slight deviation towards active
play.

Could you name us your most memorable chess game ever?

I will stick to the game I had with Anand (round 3 of Dortmund 2003), which
I won. After the game I was completely wet from sweating!

You will turn 37 this year. What are your goals as a chess player, for
2009?

I am scheduled to play in the following strong events in 2009: the Russian
Team Championship, Poikovskii, Mainz and Khanty-Mansiisk. My goal is to do my
best in every game!

In recent years, you have authored two books: a selection of your best
games and an opening guide. Will you be releasing a third chess book anytime
soon?

Yes, there will be a new opening book coming your way in a few months’
time and I hope the readers will like it.

Are you also involved in any form of chess coaching? If not, are there
any future plans to do so, perhaps, to set up a Chebanenko school of chess
in Kishinev?

Actually I am moving back to Kishinev in March this year. From time to time
I will provide consultation to young Moldavian players.

You were al-Modhiaki’s second in the recent FIDE Grand Prix. Is
this the first time you’ve worked as a second?

My first and longest experience working as a second was with Alexei Shirov
in the years from 1992 to 1996.

The Kamsky-Topalov match is under way. Who do you think will win?

I think the chances are 50-50 for both sides.

How would you describe Kamsky's chess playing style? And, what about
Topalov's?

I had described Kamsky’s style to be like that of a python in my article
in New in Chess magazine last year. Topalov’s style is definitely
more dynamic and sharper.

In your opinion, what would be one major area of weakness in Topalov's
arsenal?

I think the weak point for Topalov can be in psychological preparation. He
is very strong, psychologically, but I believe Kamsky is even stronger.

You mentioned in your book that Kamsky have been one of the most innovative
in the Chebanenko. Kamsky and Topalov had also engaged in an important theoretical
battle not too long back. In your opinion, will the Chebanenko appear in the
match?

I am pretty sure that both teams would have studied this opening very thoroughly
before the match, and there is very big chance to see some good games and novelties
in the Chebanenko Variation in the match.

Anand won the Chess Oscars in May 2008. Who is your top pick to win the
upcoming Chess Oscars?

I think it should again be Anand.

Lastly, besides chess, what are your other interests in life?

I like sports, reading and nice company!

Links

Previous Bisik-Bisik articles by Edwin Lam

Bisik-Bisik with GM Nigel Short03.10.2008 – Mention GM Nigel Short and we
think grandmaster, world championship challenger, coach, author and journalist.
Some of us will also associate him with the French Defence, an opening
that he used to play regularly many years ago. But away from the chess
board, this man is also very well known for his witty reports and articles
on chess. Edwin
Lam interviews the chess writer.

Bisik-Bisik with GM Alexander Khalifman20.08.2008 – Bisik-Bisik is a word from
the Malay Archipelago, and means whispering from one person to another.
In a series Edwin Lam seeks to “whisper” to our readers out there the
previously unknown other side of his interview partners. Today he talks
with GM Alexander Khalifman, who in 1999 became the FIDE world champion
in Las Vegas. Today "El Khalif" runs a training web site and publishes
books. Bisik-bisik.

Bisik-Bisik with Viktor Moskalenko15.12.2007 – Bisik-Bisik is a word from
the Malay Archipelago, and means the act of “whispering” from one person
to another. Starting with this inaugural article Edwin Lam will seek to
“whisper” to all our readers out there the previously unknown other side
of his interview partners. He kicks off with a conversation between Edwin
and Ukrainian Viktor Moskalenko, grandmaster,
teacher and chess author.

See also

1/7/2009 – The Estonian chess genius was born on January 7, 1916 – 93 years ago today. Though he never became world champion, very few players came as close to the throne as he did. In our Playchess lecture Dennis Monokroussos shows us a remarkable game Paul Keres played against Efim Geller at the 1962 Candidates – a game that is worthy of appreciation and emulation.Discuss

1/5/2009 – With the chess world in upheaval, and the world championship cycle in doubt, FIDE President Ilyumzhinov chaired an Internet press conference with top players, on December 27th, to find out what they thought. One was missing: former World Champion Vladimir Kramnik. In a surprise call on December 28th he told us why he couldn't take part (and what he would have said). Be pleasantly surprised!Discuss

Discuss

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